Watch: Luka Doncic ruthlessly taunts Dillon Brooks as Houston guard bricks layup
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic gave Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets a dose of his own medicine after missing a layup during their NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday.
As he drove to the basket while being guarded by the Slovenian star, Brooks missed a left-handed layup. After securing the rebound, Doncic looked back at the Rockets forward and had some words to say.
Seven-year veteran Brooks, a member of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last season, has built a reputation as one of the notable trash-talkers in the league. Throughout his career, the former Memphis Grizzlies player has butted heads with many NBA players, more recently LeBron James.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks were trying to spoil the Rockets' In-Season Tournament party on Tuesday.
Dallas was already out of the running for the next round with a 1-2 record entering the contest. Houston (2-1), however, was trying to maintain its hold of a top two spot in West Group B and progress to the knockout phase of the “tournament within a tournament.”
The Rockets were holding an 88-84 lead at the end of the third quarter of their contest.
The NBA In-Season Tournament is being implemented for the first time this season to add another dimension to the league year. The tournament has a similar format to that of in-season European football tournaments and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. All 30 NBA teams are competing in games set from Nov. 3 to Dec. 9.
Luka Doncic looks to evolve more on the court this season
In his six years in the NBA, the four-time All-Star has shown the ability to do it all for the Dallas Mavericks. While he does not mind revisiting the situation each campaign, he said he wants to involve his other teammates and put the team in better position to compete.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated ahead of the season, Doncic shared how he wanted to tweak his role in the squad to tap the potential of his other teammates.
He said:
"Mostly, I don't run … not with the ball. I make the throw-ahead pass. I think that's been working pretty good. Sometimes, I talk with Kai about it. We're going to exchange the handling of the ball. So say, for example, when it's a free throw, maybe I get the ball, but when it's like open, when it's not stoppage, he will take it. So we're going to exchange that."
The Mavericks are steady with a 10-6 record in the ongoing NBA season, with Luka Doncic averaging 30.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 78 assists and 1.3 steals. He, however, is getting steady support from Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway and Grant Williams, among others.